New Delhi, A 13-member delegation from Bangladesh is visiting India to assess the possibilities of transshipment of Exim cargo from Bangladesh through Indian ports located on the east coast, an official statement said on Thursday.
The delegation's visit (July 9-12) to the ports of Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata and Haldia is in line with the agreed minutes of the Secretary-Level Talks (SSLT) between India and Bangladesh held in Dhaka in December last year.
The objective of the Bangladesh delegation's visit is to gain first-hand knowledge on the technical feasibility, commercial viability and infrastructure facilities at Indian ports to assess their potential for transshipment of Bangladeshi cargo.
Officials from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Director General of Shipping and Central Board of Excise and Customs accompanied the visiting delegation, he added.
The delegation discussed the possibility of starting river cruise services between Dhaka and Vishakhapatnam.
IWAI Director (Traffic) AK Bansal informed the delegates that the cruise service already exists on the IBP route and can be further expanded on the coastal routes from Bangladesh to Vishakhapatnam and other ports on the east coast as the MoU and the MOU Protocol for passengers. and there is already Protocol and IBP cruise en route.
"The likelihood of returning cargo from Bangladesh to Haldia/Kolkata using inland vessels on the IBP route was also discussed during the delegation's visit to the IWAI multimodal terminal at Haldia in West Bengal," the statement said.
The Bangladesh delegation identified several obstacles in Exim trade using Indian ports.
The Indian side agreed to provide comprehensive data analysis and comparisons, demonstrating the benefits to Bangladeshi exporters and importers of using Indian ports compared to existing transshipment ports such as Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang. The head of the Bangladesh delegation assured that a stakeholder meeting would be held in Dhaka to review India's data, analysis and comparisons, he added.
The delegation's visit (July 9-12) to the ports of Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata and Haldia is in line with the agreed minutes of the Secretary-Level Talks (SSLT) between India and Bangladesh held in Dhaka in December last year.
The objective of the Bangladesh delegation's visit is to gain first-hand knowledge on the technical feasibility, commercial viability and infrastructure facilities at Indian ports to assess their potential for transshipment of Bangladeshi cargo.
Officials from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Director General of Shipping and Central Board of Excise and Customs accompanied the visiting delegation, he added.
The delegation discussed the possibility of starting river cruise services between Dhaka and Vishakhapatnam.
IWAI Director (Traffic) AK Bansal informed the delegates that the cruise service already exists on the IBP route and can be further expanded on the coastal routes from Bangladesh to Vishakhapatnam and other ports on the east coast as the MoU and the MOU Protocol for passengers. and there is already Protocol and IBP cruise en route.
"The likelihood of returning cargo from Bangladesh to Haldia/Kolkata using inland vessels on the IBP route was also discussed during the delegation's visit to the IWAI multimodal terminal at Haldia in West Bengal," the statement said.
The Bangladesh delegation identified several obstacles in Exim trade using Indian ports.
The Indian side agreed to provide comprehensive data analysis and comparisons, demonstrating the benefits to Bangladeshi exporters and importers of using Indian ports compared to existing transshipment ports such as Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang. The head of the Bangladesh delegation assured that a stakeholder meeting would be held in Dhaka to review India's data, analysis and comparisons, he added.
